when the phone rings novel
"What's going on—!"
The door burst open as if it were about to be torn from its hinges, and Director Han Jun stormed in like an enraged bull.
His gaze quickly swept over the large bandage wrapped around the back of Hee-joo's head, the scrapes on her hands, and the glimpses of bandages under her loose hospital gown. His face darkened as he approached her.
"Hee-joo, you..."
Hee-joo blinked in confusion, slowly raising her arm.
'I'm fine. Just lucky.'
She signed calmly, though her gestures were noticeably slower than usual.
"Lucky? You call this an accident...! You nearly lost your life!"
'Didn't get hurt too badly, did I?'
"I heard you needed dozens of stitches, and your hands and feet are injured too! These wounds, here, here—!"
As he gently stroked the back of Hee-joo's hand and her cheek in sympathy, the hospital room door swung open once more. A cold gust of wind hit them before anything else.
"...!"
Director Han turned to look at Hee-joo, sitting obediently in her chair, and then at the man gently holding her small face.
Baek Sa-eon's eyebrows arched slightly, as if confirming what he saw. His cold gaze fixed on the pair, freezing the atmosphere instantly. Without a word, he closed the door behind him and locked it, his back to the room.
"Good evening."
His voice was calm as he greeted them, but he reached out and pried Han Jun's hand off Hee-joo's wrist, leaving it to drop uselessly to his side.
Director Han's eyes widened.
"Ah... Spokesperson Baek Sa-eon?!"
"A pleasure to meet you," Baek Sa-eon replied curtly.
"Ah... ah..." Han Jun stammered, rubbing his now sore wrist.
The room descended into an awkward silence, and Hee-joo froze under the weight of the sudden three-way confrontation.
Director Han was the first to break it.
"Hee-joo, my dear, why would the Blue House Spokesperson visit an ordinary employee—"
"My dear?"
Baek Sa-eon's voice was sharp, colder than ice, cutting him off mid-sentence. The frigid tone sent chills through everyone in the room.
"Why are you calling her that?"
"What?"
"Calling a woman twelve years your junior 'my dear'? Was that deliberate? Even if it's just a habit, it's remarkably inappropriate to use on first meeting."
"..."
Han Jun's face twitched, clearly unprepared for such direct criticism.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't address her that way in the future."
"Spokesperson Baek, your sudden rudeness is—"
"Listen, as her husband, I don't appreciate it."
"What? Wait... what did you just say?"
Han Jun's expression twisted in confusion, his thoughts grinding like a rusted machine.
"Husband? Husband—?! Hee-joo, my dear, what is this—"
"Let me repeat myself," Baek Sa-eon interrupted, his brow furrowed as he clicked his tongue. This time, his displeasure was unfiltered.
"Why is Hee-joo your 'dear'? Use your words. Explain why Hee-joo is your 'dear.' The more I think about it—"
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, his sentence trailing off.
Director Han quickly turned to Hee-joo and signed with his hands: 'What's going on, Hee-joo?'
'Um...'
Hee-joo scratched her cheek, avoiding his gaze. She was utterly stunned to see Baek Sa-eon, usually so composed and impartial, acting so emotional during their first encounter.
Her fingers trembled as she repeatedly glanced at him.
Suddenly, Baek Sa-eon grabbed her hand, which had been lightly fluttering like a butterfly.
"She still needs rest. Visitors should leave."
Han Jun frowned in confusion, still struggling to process the situation, as he stared incredulously at them.
"Spokesperson Baek Sa-eon, are you seriously... our Hee-joo's husband?"
"Our Hee-joo?"
Baek Sa-eon cut him off coldly once again. "Your mouth truly says whatever it pleases, doesn't it?"
"What did you say?"
Director Han's eyes widened in anger.
"How could a Blue House spokesperson lie about something so serious? If what you say is true, I'm sorry, but I can't accept it. You've never shown up before—how can you claim to be Hee-joo's husband...!"
The more Han Jun spoke, the darker Baek Sa-eon's expression became, like frost settling over his features.
"Hee-joo, I don't know the full story, but I can't acknowledge this man as your uncle or guardian," Han Jun said, turning to Hee-joo with a serious expression.
"Listen, Spokesperson Baek, I've watched this girl grow up since she was little. To me, Hee-joo isn't a woman but a little sister I want to take care of. That's why I've always guided her like an older brother..."
"Older brother?"
Accompanied by a derisive laugh, Baek Sa-eon interrupted him again.
"And yet, this so-called older brother pushed domestic responsibilities onto a girl he supposedly treats as a sister."
"That—that's..."
"Hee-joo doesn't need a brother like you. Even if she did, it would be someone better."
"What are you implying?"
"Brother, father, or whatever title you want to claim—"
The two men locked eyes, sparks flying between their glares.
"—they all belong to me."
The argument finally ended when a doctor entered the room, ushering Han Jun out. Even as he was pushed away, he gestured with sign language, saying, "We'll talk later!"
Hee-joo nodded in acknowledgment, her expression conflicted.
Left alone in the room with her, Baek Sa-eon crossed his arms and tilted his chin slightly upward.
"What did that guy say earlier?"
Hee-joo widened her eyes and grabbed her phone, her fingers tapping the screen with a mix of frustration and restraint. She silently sent a message.
[8:00 PM] Don't let him see.
His brows furrowed slightly as he read it. Another message popped up.
[8:00 PM] Not worried about your image management?
A trace of reproach lingered in her words.
Baek Sa-eon rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze fixed on her.
"Support is fine, but don't speak up on behalf of another man," he said quietly, brushing his hand lightly across her cheek—the exact spot Director Han had touched earlier.
"...!"
The brief contact froze her expression.
She hadn't yet decided what kind of face to wear when looking at Baek Sa-eon. But unconsciously, her head turned toward him, as if drawn by his presence.
Disappointment, betrayal, embarrassment, and discomfort seemed to overwhelm her emotions. On top of that, she had to force herself not to glance toward the front of his pants.
"Why is Hong Hee-joo's face filled with anger?"
Huff... ugh...
That plain sentence, overlaid with the memory of his unfamiliar groans, only stoked her frustration further. He seemed so cold and composed, yet those sounds...
Even as she tried to maintain her composure, she felt a surge of anger.
'That kind of Baek Sa-eon—I don't know him!'
She had thought she understood him better than anyone, having known him since her teens and through her thirties. But she was utterly wrong. She knew nothing about his inner thoughts, nothing about his private life.
They had never been intimate, not even once after marriage. Her husband in name only—she hadn't even seen his body, yet she had fooled herself into a one-sided infatuation.
Hearing his groans just now made her realize how naive she truly was.
'I've only kissed him, while 406...'
...But I am 406, right?
Except Baek Sa-eon doesn't know who 406 is!
Which means... he did that in front of a stranger.
A stranger.
The thought made her blood boil again.
"Say what's on your mind," the man said, breaking the silence.
He had been watching her shifting expressions with great interest, his face clearly expectant, as if eagerly waiting for her to speak.
'Are you interested in my sex life now, you pervert...?!'
She had so much to say. Are you really the Baek Sa-eon I thought I knew? Have you always been this indulgent? How many times have you done that in front of strangers?
"..."
"..."
Their eyes met, a clash of hidden thoughts.
Hee-joo glared at him, her anger palpable.
"Pretty bold of you, Hong Hee-joo," he said, touching the tip of her nose lightly. "Panting like that in front of me."
Smack!
She slapped his hand away fiercely.
Baek Sa-eon chuckled in mild surprise, rubbing his chin as if trying to suppress his amusement. For a brief moment, his eyes seemed to soften, but when she looked again, his cold expression had returned.
Only Hee-joo's fury continued to burn.
'How do I deal with this despicable husband?'
She had been wrestling with that question since the night before. How could she threaten him enough to get a divorce? Or even go further and teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget?
"If you've got nothing to say, I'll leave," Baek Sa-eon said, glancing at his watch and standing up.
Although she desperately wanted to ask him if he was off to meet another woman, she bit her lip instead.
"I'll be back before dawn. I have an unmissable appointment."
Even though she had expected it, hearing it confirmed made her chest tighten painfully.
Without thinking, she grabbed her phone.
Tentatively, she sent him a message.
[8:04 PM] I've been bored all day... sleep on the cot.
He glanced at the message, tapping the corner of his phone against his chin as he looked directly at her. For once, she caught a fleeting expression of hesitation on his face.
But then he exhaled lightly, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll entertain you," he said.
"...!"
"Isn't that what you want?"
Yet, after saying that, he left the room without another word.
Her disappointment in him, the once mature, composed, and dependable Baek Sa-eon, was beyond words.
Hee-joo's lips quivered slightly as her spirits sank to rock bottom.